Trails on the Move in St. Clair County

Recent Grant Award to Improve Connections to Fairview Heights

The St. Clair County Transit District (SCCTD) continues to improve and expand the MetroBikeLink Trail System and connecting trails in Southwestern Illinois.  This fall SCCTD will open Phase III of the Old Collinsville Road Trail from Munie Road to Frank Scott Parkway.

In addition, SCCTD was awarded a $300,000 grant from the Metro East Park and Recreation District towards the construction of the Fairview Heights-Swansea Connector Trail.  The 0.75-mile trail will follow the former trolley rail corridor between Lebanon and the Eads Bridge. The project will begin at the intersection of Union Hill Road and Longacre Drive.  It will proceed westward along the old rail alignment to St. Clair Road.  The trail will be designed as a 10’ wide, paved shared used path – for pedestrians and bicycles – and be fully ADA compliant.

This trail will provide pedestrian connectivity to sidewalks in Fairview Heights, as well as be a key connector between the planned future trail corridors along Sullivan Road/Union Hill Road and Bunkum Road.

Design of the trail is just beginning, with construction planned for late 2024 to 2025.

The St. Clair County Transit District MetroBikeLink System includes 14 miles of trails and bike paths along MetroLink in Southwestern Illinois.  The development of a bicycle trail adjacent to the St. Clair County MetroLink extension was an important piece in the St. Clair County Transit District’s (SCCTD) efforts to link transportation modes in the community. Since the initial trail, the system has expanded to include numerous other trails all connecting in with the original MetroBikeLink and transit.  The trail will connect 7 MetroLink Stations from Fairview Heights to the newly planned station at MidAmerica Airport and the connecting MetroBus system and microtransit including the SCCTD Flyer and VanGo.  Bikes can be brought on MetroLink and all Metrobuses are equipped with exterior bike racks.